The Songwriters' Performance Workshop is for those student participants who have developed their singing, playing and performance skills to a level where they can accompany themselves at a pace consistent with other students. At this level, the workshop focuses on providing students with a unique construct in which to create, develop and perform their original compositions.
The curriculum addresses how to structure a performance set including song sequencing, working with a sound system, and how to become more at ease with an audience. The workshop is designed to provide songwriters, performers and poets with a safe and non-critical environment, with emphasis on communication skills that support feedback without judgment among participants. This is essential, especially for those students who are being assisted, during the workshop, in overcoming stage fright and other fears that are associated with performing in public.
Poets who are interested in song writing and want to become more familiar with the process of how song lyrics are constructed are encouraged to attend. Poets will have the opportunity to experience how music can play an important role in their "poetic" presentations. Poets will be given the opportunity to have their poems put to music during the course of the workshop, and to recite and perform their compositions.
"Observing Student Participants" are those students who are beginning lyricists, musicians and poets. This category has been created especially for those who may not feel comfortable enough, at this time, to sing and accompany themselves, and would much prefer to "observe" rather than perform. Observing students participate in much the same manner as the other students in regards to group interaction and dialog, with the exception of performing or reciting their compositions or poems during group. The tuition fee for "Observing Student Participants" is the same fee as for performing songwriters and poets.
